Receptacle



Nov. 14, 1939. H. E. GRAHAM RE CEPTACLE Filed June 20, 1936 frvucw Toe 6442040 5. 619191419 Patented Nov. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 10 Claims.

My invention relates to receptacles adapted to hold and dispense Various materials, and is particularly applicable to shaker devices for salt, sugar and various other powdered or granular materials. It is in this capacity that it will be particularly described, without in any way limiting myself thereto.

Present shakers are open to the objection that the screw-threaded top or shaker element is difficult to remove, the granular material becoming lodged in the threads. This is especially true with regard to corrosive materials, especially table salt. Such salt not only has a corrosive action on metals but is quite hygroscopic and tends to absorb moisture from the atmosphere so that it is not uncommon to find such a top or shaker element so firmly attached to the body of the receptacle as to make removal difiicult and in some instances impossible.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a receptacle for salt and the like provided with a shaker top which is easy to open and which will not become stuck.

Another object of the invention is to provide a receptacie with a closure member which can be moved from closed to open position without the use of both hands.

Another defect in present shakers is that if they are filled too full the granular or powdered material will pack and make impossible the shaking of the material therefrom.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a shaker which cannot be filled so full as to prevent satisfactory expellation of the material.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a receptacle such as a shaker in which the top, while displaceable, cannot be easily removed entirely from the container body, and in which this top can remain as a part of the receptacle unit during filling.

Another object of the invention lies in the provision of a receptacle, such as a shaker, in which the top is held in place by friction between a slide member and the receptacle, this frictional engagement taking place at a position spaced from the top.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved base structure for a shaker or other container which resists tipping and which is easy to fix in place.

Further objects of the invention lie in the provision of a shaker of improved character which is easy to manufacture and of attractive design.

Still further objects and advantages of the invention will be evident to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of one embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side View of the shaker with the top closed.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the center of the shaker with the top closed.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the top in open position.

Fig. 4 is a top view of the shaker.

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the shaker.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view illustrating the telescoping portions of the body and top.

In general, the invention has been illustrated with reference to a shaker indicated by the numeral I 0 and including a body ll providing a chamber l2 open at its upper and lower ends. This body may be circular in shape, as shown, and may be formed of a short length of tubing providing a lower indented portion I4 and upper indented portions I5 spun or otherwise formed therein, these indented portions making the body more rigid and serving other functions to be hereinafter set forth. However, it will be clear that the invention is not limited to a body of circular shape in horizontal cross-section, and that other shapes may be used as desired.

Closing the upper end of the chamber I2 is an upwardly-movable top I! which may be of various shapes but which is preferably of dome shape, as shown. Openings 18 are provided to form suitable perforations through which powdered or granular material in the chamber l2 may move when the shaker I6 is inverted. The top ll may be made to telescope with the upper end of the body [2, if desired, to centralize and better retain the top when in closed position. Only a slight telescoping action is necessary, and in some instances even this can be dispensed with. As. best shown in Fig. 3, the top I? provides a peripheral edge I9 which is tapered outward and upward to provide a telescoping portion 20. Similarly, the upper end of the body II is tapered i II and which preferably is positioned to extend across the chamber l2, resiliently engaging the inner walls of the body II which bound this chamber. Any suitable means is provided for operatively connecting the friction member 25 and the top H. As shown, this means includes a rod 26 extending upward in the chamber I2 and being welded or otherwise connected to the top I1, this means also including plate members 2'! and 28 respectively above and below the friction member 25, and providing a suitable means for retaining the rod 26 and the members 25, 21, and 28 together. The preferable way of securing these members together is to extend the rod 26 downward through the friction member 25, as shown in Fig. 2, the lower end of this rod being slotted to provide bifurcations which may be bent outward beneath the lower plate member 28. The upper plate member 2'! is thus held firmly against a shoulder 29 of the rod 26.

It will thus be clear that upward pressure can be applied to the friction member 25 through the lower end of the chamber l2 either directly or through the lower plate 28, and that this upward pressure will move the friction member, the rod 26, and the top l9 upward as a unit. If this upward pressure is applied at a section displaced from the axis of the rod 26, it will be clear that this movable structure will be displaced into a position shown in Fig. 3, facilitating filling of the chamber l2. It is, of course, also possible to move this structure vertically upward and then apply pressure to one side of the top I! to swing this top into the position shown in Fig. 3. The top is later moved into closed position by downward pressure exerted thereon.

It is desirable that the friction member 25 be in sealing relationship with the chamber l2 at all times, even when the movable structure is moved into the position shown in Fig. 3. This may be readily accomplished by using a suitably formed friction member. Preferably this member is formed of cork, though other resilient materials such as rubber may be used. If this friction member is made relatively thick, it is preferable to form the periphery thereof of arcuate shape, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, to prevent binding and to permit tipping of the movable structure Without opening a space around the friction member through which the powdered or granular material might leak.

While no additional base structure is needed for the shaker 10, it is sometimes desirable to utilize an auxiliary base structure which tends to prevent tipping of the shaker. A very satisfactory and simple form of such base structure may include a ring structure 35 formed of bead members 36 with means extending therebetween for holding same in the form of a ring. A flexible pullchain structure, readily available on the market, may be used which includes bead members 36 in the form of spheres with links 38 extending between adjacent spheres. Enlarged portions are formed at the ends of each link 38, and these enlarged portions are retained inside the respective spheres. Such spheres are usually split, and by opening the end sphere of a selected length of such pull-chain, and inserting the enlarged portion of the opposite end link therein, the sphere can be again closed to form the ring structure. This ring structure is preferably of such size as to snugly engage the outer wall of the indented portion l4. Such a ring structure is sufficiently resilient that it can be forced upward into the depression formed by this indented portion, being therein held by frictional force. The bead members 36 are of such size, and the ring structure is so placed, that the lowermost portions of the bead members project below the lowermost portion of the body II to act as a support for the shaker II]. It should be clear, however, that this invention, is not limited to the particular base structure shown.

It will be apparent that the invention is applicable to various receptacles, but finds particular application to shakers. When so used it will be clear that upward movement of the friction member 25 somewhat reduces the volume of the space capable of receiving the granular or powdered material. It is thus impossible to excessively fill such a shaker, for even if the material is heaped in this space, it will be clear that downward movement of the top IT in closed position will move the friction member 25 downward and thus enlarge the space. Thus such packing of the granular or powdered material as would impede satisfactory shanking is inherently prevented in this invention.

Further, the construction shown is very easily manufactured and assembled, and is attractive in design. The indented portions l4 and I may serve to impede complete removal of the friction member 25 from the chamber, though they do not extend inward far enough to prevent insertion of this friction member when in a non-horizontal position. The friction member is sufiiciently resilient to pass these indented portions when inserted in such angular position.

Various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it will be clear that I am not limited to the illustrated embodiment, this particular embodiment being shown only by way of example.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination in a shaker: a tubular body open at its upper and lower ends and providing inward-indented portions near said upper and lower ends respectively, the space between said indented portions and inside said body comprising a cylindrical chamber of uniform diameter; a friction member of a diameter substantially corresponding to the diameter of said chamber and formed of resilient material so that it can be inserted into said chamber by deforming during movement past one of said indented portions, said friction member frictionally engaging the walls of said cylindrical chamber to form a movable bottom for said chamber; a shaker top engageable with said body to extend across said open upper end; means extending in said chamber for connecting said friction member and said shaker top to move a unit whereby upward movement of said friction member will raise said shaker top from engagement with the upper end of said body; and ring means extending around said body and fitting in the lower indented portion and providing supporting means slightly below and outside the lower end of said tubular body.

2. In combination in a shaker: a body open at its upper and lower ends and providing inner walls bounding an upright chamber, at least a portion of said chamber being of uniform size and shape in cross section throughout the length of this portion, this portion being bounded by side walls; an upwardly-movable top removably seating against said body to close the upper end of said chamber; a friction member extending entirely across said portion of said chamber which is of uniform size and shape in cross section at a. position below top and slidably engaging said side walls bounding said portion of said chamber to permit vertical movement of said friction member along said side walls to form an adjustable bottom for said upright chamber; and means for interconnecting said removable top and said friction member to move same vertically as a unit, said means including a rod extending downward in said chamber and means for securing said top and said friction member to opposite ends of said rod to maintain said top and friction member constantly spaced when said friction member is pressed upward, the lower end of said body being open to permit manual engagement with said friction member.

3. A combination as defined in claim 2 in which said friction member is formed of a disc of deformable resilient material of substantial thickness.

4. A combination as defined in claim 2 in which said friction member provides a contacting peripheral surface which is of arcuate shape in vertical cross section and which frictionally and slidably engages the walls of said portion of said chamber to permit tipping of said friction member, and in which said rod is considerably smaller in horizontal cross section than the upper part of said chamber whereby the tipping movement of said friction member is limited by displacement of an upper portion of said rod into engagement with said body.

5. A combination as defined in claim 2 including small telescoping portions formed on said upper end of said body and on said top and disposed to telescope when said top is in seated position, the friction between said friction member and said walls being sufiicient to retain said portions telescoped when said shaker is inverted.

6. A combination as defined in claim 2 in which said body provides an indented portion projecting slightly into said portion of said chamber to be engaged by said friction member when moved upward a considerable distance to impede upward movement of said friction member past said indented portion and thus determine the normal uppermost position of said friction member in said portion of said chamber in which it slides in engagement with said side walls.

'7. A combination as defined in claim 2 including a closed ring structure comprisinga plurality of bead members and means extending therebetween for retaining said bead members in the form of a ring, and including means for retaining said ring structure at the lower end of said body in such position that the lowermost portions of said bead members extend slightly below the lowermost portion of said body to act as supports therefor at radial positions beyond the lower extremity of the lower open end of said body.

8. A combination as defined in claim 2 in which said friction member is formed of resilient material, and in which said means for securing said lower end of said rod to said friction member includes plate means on opposite sides of said friction member and secured to said rod to hold said friction member in a plane transverse to the axis of said rod.

9. In combination in a shaker: a tubular body providing an open lower end and a dispensingfilling opening at its upper end and providing a vertically disposed space of uniform size and shape in horizontal cross section; a top of a size to extend across said upper end of said space and normally seating against the upper end of said tubular body when in a lower seated position to close said dispensing-filling opening but liftable into an unseated position to permit insertion of a material into said space; a rod secured to said top and extending downward in said tubular body and by which rod said top can be lifted into said unseated position; and means for pivoting the lower end of said rod about an axis transverse to and inside said tubular body, said means including a member formed of deformable resilient material and extending outward from the lower end of said rod across said tubular body to provide an adjustable bottom for said space, said member being vertically slidable in said space in sealing relationship with said tubular body.

10. A combination as defined in claim 2 in which said body provides an indented portion projecting slightly into said portion of said chamber to be engaged by said friction member when moved upward a considerable distance, thereby impeding upward movement of said friction member past said indented portion todetermine the normal uppermost position of said friction member, said friction member being formed of a material sufliciently resilient to be forced past said projection if sufficient force is applied and 

